Chelsea FC 3-0 Valencia: Grading the Blues After Champions League Redemption
André Villas-Boas did it his way, dropping Frank Lampard and Fernando Torres, yet still winning 3-0 against Valencia in a must-win game.
Maybe this is the turning point for Villas-Boas, who has been plagued with skepticism.
Here are the player grades for tonight's monumental victory over Valencia.
Feel free to comment below in reaction to these grades.
Goalkeeper: Petr Čech
1 of 12Grade: A+
In the ninth minute, Petr Čech made a brilliant save to deny David Albelda's long-range bomb, who had never scored in a UEFA Champions League game.
Cech continued to make good saves, which was rewarded with a clean sheet.
Right Back: Branislav Ivanović
2 of 12Grade: A
Aside from underestimating Jordi Alba in the fifth minute, Branislav Ivanović did not put a foot wrong the entire game.
Again, he displayed why he should always be the right back instead of José Bosingwa.
Centre Back: John Terry
3 of 12Grade: B
John Terry led the defence well and probably was in earshot of David Luiz, ensuring the Brazilian did not make headlines for the wrong reason.
Centre Back: David Luiz
4 of 12Grade: B
A faultless display from David Luiz, but aside from one trademark run, there wasn't the Luiz flair that we've come to love.
Sure, it makes him more reliable, but it doesn't make him £21.5 million special.
Hopefully, Luiz can find a healthy balance between the two moving forward.
Left Back: Ashley Cole
5 of 12Grade: B
Antonio Barragán's first foray into Chelsea's defensive half was easily dealt with by Ashley Cole.
This set a trend for the rest of the game. So much so that Barragán's only bright moment was picking on Juan Mata's defensive deficiencies.
Also, was Sofiane Feghouli even on the pitch? That's how well Cole played.
Defensive Midfielder: Oriol Romeu
6 of 12Grade: B
Oddly booked for a fair challenge, but Oriol Romeu ran around, made tackles, distributed the ball well and is playing his role well.
Centre Midfielder: Raul Meireles
7 of 12Grade: C+
Raul Meireles wasted possession and drifted in and out of the game.
Where was his presence in the centre?
If Frank Lampard is to continue warming the benches, why not give Josh McEachran a run in the team?
Though if Daniel Sturridge passed him the ball twice when he was open, perhaps Meireles would have a brace and his grade would at least be a B+.
Centre Midfielder: Ramires
8 of 12Grade: A
I was surprised Víctor Ruiz played because he had been struggling with a right adductor strain.
It showed tonight, as Ramires took advantage of Ruiz's comical defending.
Ramires is such an important player to the team because he is so selfless and is literally the engine room.
I was surprised he was substituted, but considering how well he played, I'm going to assume it's because he picked up an injury as opposed to a tactical reasoning.
Right Forward: Daniel Sturridge
9 of 12Grade: C
In the 27th minute, Daniel Sturridge should have either squared it to Didier Drogba or put it through to the far post, where Raul Meireles had gotten free of Víctor Ruiz
Twenty-six minutes later, Sturridge should have squared it to Meireles.
Sturridge needs to incorporate his teammates into the game.
It's not always about him regardless of how much of a precocious talent he is.
Centre Forward: Didier Drogba
10 of 12Grade: A+
André Villas-Boas' decision to start Didier Drogba over Fernando Torres has been vindicated.
Early on, Drogba chested the ball down to provide for Raul Meireles, and this foreshadowed what was to come: a great finish in the third minute to give Chelsea that crucial psychological advantage.
Chelsea spent the entire first half tormenting the Valencia defence, and in the 22nd minute, Villas-Boas played in Ramires to give Chelsea a 2-0 lead.
It was a good finish to ensure three points for Chelsea.
What impressed me was Drogba's work rate.
Man of the match.
Left Forward: Juan Mata
11 of 12Grade: A
Juan Mata is the architect, the orchestrator, the coordinator of Chelsea, though he's still not given a central position, even though he basically plays there.
In the 30th minute, Antonio Barragán easily wrong footed Mata and got into a strong position.
Barragán did it again in the 38th minute.
This again reiterates Mata's weakness—defence.
So why play him out wide if he is burdened with tracking midfielders and full backs on his flank?
By doing this, Mata's main role of directing Chelsea's attacks is limited in some ways.
Your Opinion
12 of 12| Petr Čech | A+ |
| Branislav Ivanović | A |
| John Terry | B |
| David Luiz | B |
| Ashley Cole | B |
| Oriol Romeu | B |
| Raul Meireles | C+ |
| Ramires | A |
| Daniel Sturridge | C |
| Didier Drogba | A+ |
| Juan Mata | A |
Please watch Cristiano Ronaldo's 10 Greatest Goals for Real Madrid.
What do you think of the grades?
Who was your man of the match?
